Spooky Mayfair: An Architectural Haunted Walking Tour
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Being an architect, I think that every building tells a story. These stories make a city, and inhabit the buildings as we do. However, in Mayfair, a residential area of London, they are not always easy to spot. This quick walking tour will take you through beautiful garden squares and mysterious mews (and an adequate number of pubs), to uncover the "hidden histories" behind my latest architectural watercolours.
1. The Nameless Terror of 50 Berkeley Square
Starting our tour at arguably the most haunted building in London, the Georgian architecture of the building masks a horrific past. Not only was this home to a previous Prime Minister, scary enough I know. The attic room is also said to be haunted by the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there. Other ghosts include a young man who went mad by seeing the spirit of the young woman (these things multiply apparently) and a young girl bizzarley in a Scottish kilt. While some researchers suggest the "ghostly" noises were merely the nocturnal habits of a previous eccentric occupant, Thomas Myers, who himself went mad and would walk around the house all night long after being rejected by his fiancée (love hurts). The legend of the "Attic Room" however remains one of the most enduring ghost stories in the capital, see the end of this blog!
2. Neoclassical Secrets from The Lansdowne Club
Not too far from there at 9 Fitzmaurice Place is The Lansdowne Club. It is a Grade II* listed property with a combination of neoclassical curves and Art Deco elements from the 1930s. Behind 18th-century Georgian neoclassical design facade lies a frozen history because the building used to be the residence of Harry Gordon Selfridge and a place where Benjamin Franklin helped draft the Treaty of Paris in 1782. Interesing two club cats, Harry and Rose (named after Harry Gordon Selfridge and his wife Rosalie, who lived in Lansdowne House 1921–1929) roam the halls. Cats are widely believed across cultures and spiritual traditions to serve as bridges between the physical and spirit worlds. So who knows perhaps the embodiment of the Selfidges souls or perhaps not.
3. Vanishing Tricks at Annabel’s
Moving around the square to No. 46, we come to Annabel’s, which gained its fame in the basement of No. 44. It is a house of utter discretion where stories of the wild goings-on here of celebrities have been silenced over the years. One of the most legendary mysteries associated with this establishment is the connection to the Clermont Club, known for the disappearance of its member Lord Lucan after his childrens nanny was murdered. Dispite numerous sightings over the years he has never been found. The buildings themselves, especially No. 44 Berkeley Square, are known for their impressive staircases and saloon modeled on the "Double Cube Room" at Wilton House.
4. Magistrates & Gangsters at The Punch Bowl
Talks a right to Farm Street and walk to number 41. Here sits the Punch Bowl is an old Georgian pub that has been around for almost 300 years. Despite being old, the pub has an unusually strict architectural background in that it used to be a magistrates’ court. At the opposite side of the scale it was owned by the free thinking and spookily ageless Madonna and her husband Guy Richie. For close to 300 years now, the pub’s walls have housed a range of people, from royalties to workers and even suspected gangsters.
5.The surprise visitor at the Audley
The next street along is the wonderful Mount Street. Within three minutes’ walking distance of this is the Audley Public House, a charming red brick and buff terracotta corner building, originally dating from 1730 (rebuilt later). One of the best examples of a “gin palace” from the late Victorian era. It has a wonderful, fresh interior which retains its character. Not so much a ghost story, but I am sure it would have given the staff a fright. In June 2009, the First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, during her visit to London, appeared for a surprise visit with the Secret Service 25 of them - terrifying and amazing. Also while there, pop into Mount Street Gardens just opposite, now a park but previously a graveyard; some believe the bodies are still buried there.
5.The Cursed Flat
Take a walk south to Curzon Square to see what is one of the strangest coincidences. Behind the door above sits Flat 12. American singer Harry Nilsson bought the flat in the early 1970s (around 1972) because it was near Apple Records, the Playboy Club, and Tramp nightclub. Shockingly, two rock stars died here in the same bed just four years apart: Cass Elliot (“Mama Cass”) of The Mamas and Papas and Keith Moon. Elliot died of a heart attack while Moon died of an overdose of anti-alcoholism drug. Ironically, he was trying to cut back on drinking. Hope they finally got rid of that bed!
7. The Card Cheater’s Ghost at The Grenadier
If you fancy another pub and a bit of a walk further south into Knightsbridge, you can slip into the private alley of Wilton Row to discover The Grenadier. Founded in 1720 to serve as an officers’ mess for the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, it is considered one of the most haunted public houses in London. According to the primary folklore associated with this place, a young officer named Cedric, who had been found out playing card games and cheating, got brutally murdered in the basement. Strange activities include moving glasses and cigarettes being lit mysteriously. Although it should be noted Patrons had been drinking.
If in doubt Lord Lyttleton (1872) on a bet, spent a night in the attic of 50 Berekley Square with a shotgun, fired at an apparition, and found only shotgun cartridges in the morning. He rang his bell furiously just after midnight, was found in “convulsions of absolute terror,” and died shortly after. Lesson learnt: Don't do bets and shotguns don't kill ghosts.
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